I typically spend Thanksgiving with my mom, aunt, and uncle each year in Florida. This year was a bit different since I was in need of some serious downtime and the deep desire to be in the woods. Carabelle spends most of Thanksgiving break in Virginia with her father, so we took this opportunity to take respite in the mountains.
David, Carabelle, and I started our journey in Naples, Florida with our midway point being Charleston, S.C. . After a few days of traveling, we brought Carabelle to her father in Virginia and continued up to the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you are looking to spend Thanksgiving or plan a fall trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, here is a rundown of our itinerary, suggestions, and tips.
Thanksgiving Week Itinerary in Charlottesville, Virginia
- Day 1: Arrive in Charlottesville
– Check-In at The Boar’s Head Resort
– Dinner at The Mill Room - Day 2: Explore Charlottesville
– Breakfast at The Mill Room
– Workout at The Sports Club
– Downtown Mall
– Lunch at Farmacy Cafe
– Monticello Tour
– Dinner at The Clifton Inn - Day 3: Self-Care Day
– Breakfast at the Mill Room
– Yoga Class at The Sports Club
– Lunch at the Birdwood Bar & Grill
– Spa Treatments
– Dinner at the Mill Room - Day 4: Exploring Nature
– Breakfast at The Mill Room
– Walk the nature trail and golf trails at The Boar’s Head Resort
– Drive to Shenandoah National Park
– Hike the Turk Mountain Trail
– Lunch at the Blue Mountain Brewery
– Relax in the room reading
– Dinner at the Blue Mountain Brewery - Day 5: Thanksgiving
– Watch the annual Thanksgiving race being held at the resort
– Breakfast at The Mill Room
– Nature walk on resort trails
– Thanksgiving lunch at The Ivy Inn
– Hike the Saunders-Monticello Trail
– Drive through UVA grounds
– Late dinner at The Mill Room - Day 6: Checkout and Drive Home
Day 1: Arrive in Charlottesville, Virginia
We arrived in Charlottesville that evening after making good time from Charleston, South Carolina. Upon our arrival we were greeted in the lobby with a warm smiles and cozy fireplace. The front desk staff were very helpful, friendly, and effecient. We were given information about what The Boar’s Head Resort offers including the Fitness Center classes and the on-site dining options.
Day 2: Explore Charlottesville
Our first day waking up in Charlottesville, we were ready to explore…after it warmed up a bit! We Floridians were not used the frigid weather but were very grateful for the sunny day and planned on taking full advantage of it.
We had breakfast at The Mill Room, a short walk from our room. The service was very friendly and the bowl..I mean cup of coffee was on point. I had the yogurt with granola. (Shocking, I know).
After breakfast we took a walk around the grounds and explore the Sports Club for a quick workout. This facility is definitely state of the art and would highly recommend staying at The Boards Head Resort to take advantage of it, especially if you are into tennis.
Food, exercise, shower and ready to head to Historic Downtown Charlottesville. Just to point out, because it is important, this day was a Monday. We made our way downtown within a short 15 minute drive and found the parking garage very easily. Making our way to the mall, we noticed it was very quiet. Not many people visiting. We quick;y realized why…everything is CLOSED on Mondays! Who knew! I normally do plenty of research before I travel, but this was definitely overlooked. We were starving and had NO place to eat. I was having flashbacks of Charleston. Thankfully we found this cute little burrito place at the very end, The Farmacy Cafe. I am thinking they were open to take advantage of the workers in the government building just steps away. The burrio tasted fresh and healthy and was enormous!
We were pretty disappointed that the expected shops and hustle and bustle of the mall was not found, but quickly made a last minute Monticello reservation, which was only 10 minutes away.
Monticello
Our 3pm tour was a great call! We were able to take a walk up to the house before our tour began. There is also a shuttle for those who aren’t interested in the hike. It was just a 15 minute walk through the woods and helped set the tone for our tour. The tour guide was very informative and we learned a lot about Monticello and it’s creator, Thomas Jefferson. Not only was Jefferson our third president, but a true lover of education, art and, French food, an architect, engineer, and overall a very intelligent individual. he not only designed the University of Virginia, but created the curriculum as well. I would HIGHLY recommend booking the house tour if anything on our visit to Monticello.
The Clifton Inn
It was that time again…dinner. Being that downtown was closed, we decided to see if anything was in close proximity to Monticello worth stopping at. Upon a quick glance at Google Maps, I was happy to see that we were just 10 minutes from The Clifton Inn. We had no idea whether we would need reservations and the fact that it wasn’t quite open yet, we decided to take the risk and just show up. To our delight, they did in fact have one reservation available, right at 5:00pm. We sat at the bar and chatted with the super-friendly staff until the restaurant officially opened and our table was ready. We were seated on the back patio, which would have been an amazing view if it were summer and it were light outside, but we were just happy to have a table. I ordered the curry tofu, their vegan option. It was amazing! I actually wish I had more on my plate. I rarely eat my whole meal. We would definitely return to this restaurant and would love to see it in all its splendor in the spring or summer months.
Day 3: Self-Care Day
Rain…lost of gloomy cold rain! But we were expecting this weather and had planned a self-care spa day in advance!
We started our morning at The Mill Room for breakfast. After we finished, we headed to The Sports Club for a yoga class (me) and a workout (David). We didn’t have much time for lunch before our scheduled spa treatments started so we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Birdwood Bar & Grill that was near The Sports Club. The service was very nice and accommodating, but the food really wasn’t anything to write home about. Regardless, it did the trick and we were on the way to the spa.
The spa was a short walk from our room and was time well spent. David and I both had massages, spent some time using the steam room as well as the co-ed waiting area. What a great idea! They had hot tea and snacks provided as well.
After our relaxing afternoon, we decided to stay at the Resort and headed to The Mill Room for dinner. They had yet to disappoint, so we really didn’t feel like we were missing out, not trying a new venue.
Day 4: Exploring Nature
The sun has returned! Thankfully the next morning, the sun graced us with its presence and we were very excited to get into nature! We started our day with our typical breakfast spot, The Mill Room. This morning, I decided on the oatmeal. It was just what I needed to warm up and get ready for the day.
We ventured out on the resort grounds, which sprawls over 600 acres of land. We took the nature trail around the pond that lead us to the golf course path. It was a beautiful morning with the fog lifting over the course. We even spotted a gorgeous hawk just sitting in the tree observing us from above.
I was getting antsy staying in one place for so long and it was time to head to the mountains! We drove about 20 minutes to the entrance of the Shenandoah National Park. The drive was beautiful and even though it threatened to rain on us, the weather held up. We decided on the Turk Mountain Trail do to its proximity, length of the hike, and the great reviews it had. It was a pretty easy hike that lasted about 2 hours, up and back. There were a few others on the trail, but for the most part it was peaceful and tranquil. Exactly what I came here for!
Lunchtime
After our hike, we headed to The Blue Mountain Brewery. It was a hosrt dirve from the park and it did NOT dissapoint. Even though neithr David or I drink alcohol, we partook in their non-alcohol beer options. They had 3 to choose from and I was in heaven. It was so nice to have options at a brewery! We both ordered the black bean burger and sweet potato fries. The meal was amazing as was the server and the views! I would love to return again when the weather was warmer and enjoy their outdoor space and live entertainment.
Back at the resort, we decided to warm up and enjoy some relaxing downtime before heading to our usual dinner spot, none other than The Mill Room.
A beautiful day enjoying Mother Nature for sure!
Day 5: Thanksgiving
Gratitude was the intention of the day. It began bright and early with the annual Thanksgiving Day race to support the local children’s hospital. It was a nice way to start the day and you could really feel the buzz in the air. We didn’t participate but stood on the sidelines viewing and cheering the runners, walkers, and joggers on.
Before the race officially ended, we thought it might be smart to grab a table at our usual Mill Room before all of the racers and their families poured in. I had had a few cups of coffee already that morning and opted for the tea service. They did a very nice job and it was perfect for the chilly day.
We decided to skip the gym and opted for the nature walk on the resort grounds given it was our last day in Virginia. It really is amazing how much land they have and the various findings you can encounter without even leaving the resort. We found a cemetery on the property as well as some beautiful foliage and birds. We had to wrap up our hike a bit premature to my liking since we had early Thanksgiving lunch reservations at The Ivy Inn. The only time they had available was 12:15, and this was booking months in advance! Let me tell you – it was definitely worth it!!!
Thanksgiving at The Ivy Inn
We had never dined at the Ivy Inn before, so we had zero expectations. We were seated outside on their covered garage area. It was much nicer than it sounds. The restaurant itself was converted from an Inn. The historic house was comprised of two floors that held nothing but rooms and rooms of tables filled with people enjoying themselves. The kitchen was in the actual kitchen of the home and was truly amazing the volume of food they pumped out of it. To help with the small kitchen, the restaurant only had specific seating times and on this Thanksgiving Day a prefix menu. I usually have a hard time ordering from a prefix menu, not here! They had vegetarian options for all courses. It was really nice having a composed vegetarian Thanksgiving Day meal rather than just sides that I typically cobble together to make a meal out of.
We started our dining journey with their amuse bouche which was house made toast with pepper jam and a creamy cheese. Next course was a seasonal apple and blue cheese salad with candied nuts, followed by mushroom ravioli, and the main course stuffed butternut squash. Our final dessert course had two offerings, a mini pecan pie and an apple cake. We sat and ate for over 2 hours!!! The price seemed steep prior to our arrival but when we were through, we both decide it was well worth the cost. In addition to the amazing food, our server was super friendly and knowledgeable. If we ever return to the area, this place is definitely our first choice to return to.
Walking It Off
After stuffing our selves, we decided a hike was in order. We ventured over to the Saunders-Monticello Trail not far from The Ivy Inn for an easy boardwalk walk followed up with a steep uphill walk through the woods. It was nice viewing the historic landmarks on the property as well as the partaking in the cities trail system. Charlottesville really does a great job with their trail system as far as marking them and making them easy to navigate.
As the sun started to set, we decided it would be best to head back to the resort. On our way we drive through the University of Virginia campus area. It was a nice change to see historic properties with such character and stories in comparison to home in Naples, Florida.
Last Meal
Thanksgiving Dinner – Take 2. We had made reservations at The Mill Room the night prior in the event we were still hungry after our 2 hour Thanksgiving lunch. I am glad we did! We had 8pm reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at The Mill Room. We had a light meal, I had a salad and a sweet potato. Just enough to tide me over for the night. It was really nice to be able to say goodbye to our favorite server, Natalia. She really was the highlight of our dining experiences at The Mill Room and brought such a great energy to each day.
Day 6: Checkout and Drive Home
That is a wrap! We headed home without stopping and made excellent time. It was nice to be back in warm, sunny Florida but appreciated the opportunity to experience a different season (fall) and a different grade of elevation.